Why PCP Airguns?

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bettega

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Nov 2, 2015
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Hello;

I have just returned to the airgun world after a several many decade absence pulling out what I had as a kid, receiving airguns from someone else who left the country, and buying an inexpensive new model or two. Up until recently it was my understanding that air guns were hand pumped or had CO2 cannisters, and the main advantages were quiet use, low cost of operation, low maintenance, inexpensive acquisition costs, low noise, lower power as well all of which contribute to a more child friendly entry into firearms with a high potential for indoor or backyard use on your property even if you don't live in the middle of nowhere.

Then I start coming across all kinds of larger, true firearm type calibers. Now hear me out on this one, which is why I am posting. In no way am I trying to get a bad reaction out of anyone or trying to troll, but other than being in a position where you could not buy real firearms (local laws, gun control or you're a felon), the PCP guns, awesome as they seem at first glance, seem to defeat the low cost, high convenience, ease of use and ease of plinking anywhere benefits of airguns.

I may have it wrong but as far as I've read they are neither fish nor fowl. Being noisy they are not for a neighbor conscious backyard shooter. Instead of buying a 60 dollar item you don't mind your kids bang up, they cost as much as a real firearm. The ammunition is a bit cheaper than real firearm rounds, but the PCP element makes.... me..... GASP! You need to spend a lot of money on charging equipment that could afford you an arsenal of ammo or constantly go back and forth lugging all kinds of equipment to a dive shop with resultant fees and drain of your time as you wait for them to charge it while in the gun world you can buy ammo online now without leaving your hose! Indeed most PCP airguns shoot huge bullets and are quite powerful compared to other styles but pale in comparison to firearms, and when you consider the costs or inconvenience of entry into 3000psi air, what's the benefit? Why not buy a real gun?

It's the need for a source of high pressure air and all the costs as well as inconveniences that will likely stop me from ever going the PCP direction, but I would be curious to hear from those that do this on a regular basis. What got you into PCP airguns? Why did you spend your money in this way and not say buying real guns? Is there something I am missing?

Looking forward on people's perspectives.

Happy shooting
 
I can't speak for anyone but myself. But a couple of years ago I thought the EXACTSAME THING lol..But where I live it's no possible to shoot 22rimfires any longer due to the area growing around me . I wanted to continue to shoot but my local range is 30 min drive and it's always crowded. I have several really nice rim fires and love the precision accuracy they bring. When I could no longer shoot at my house I purchased a 22 break barrel at Walmart , it worked fine but like all cheap guns accuracy was just So-So . I soon began looking for a more accurate airgun and discovered PCPs . Seemed like a huge investment for a supercharged BB gun. I began doing research..
Started watching YouTube videos and still wasn't sold , a local FFL dealer I knew had heard me talking about them and saw an ad on Facebook from a guy with a 25 marauder,and all the extras for 400$ even . I drove out to the guys house , tried it , and was instantly HOOKED !!!!
The accuracy was incredible compared to any airgun I had ever seen , and the pellet hit like a 22short . I bought it brought it home and now had a nice accurate way to shoot without upsetting the neighbors . That was a few years ago ........ Now I can't remember last time I shot one of my regular guns . Ant the amount I have spent on a couple of my Truly nice PCPs i consider very well spent !! 
Accuracy at 50 yards ( limits of my yard) rival my Anschutz and Kimber Super America . And the quality shown in the very best air rifles has to be seen to appreciate !! The bluing on an Air Arms , The accuracy of a Kalibrgun, the feel of a Daystate on the bench . The only comparison to Rimfires or center fires would be like Cooper Arms, or maybe one of the nicer Kimbers . 
Quality has a certain feel that's hard to put in words ...... Shoot one and see what you think then ! Best of luck 
 
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I think you have a pretty good grasp on the situation, except for the noise factor. I have a .25 Marauder and it is quiet enough to shoot in the backyard. There is indeed a lot of up-front expense for PCPs, but once acquired, it's smooth sailing. I can go to the range and shoot all day long without needing to pump or prime the gun. The noise is negligible, which for me, is the biggest draw of airguns. When I go to the indoor range I need to wear hearing protection because of the canons going off around me. Most of the other shooters don't even know that I'm there. I have a day job that requires me to be hyper focused on multiple projects. The ability to sit and quietly focus on a single point and loose round after round down-range is a bit like zen meditation for me. If I have to stop to pump after every shot, I lose that state of flow. Everyone has their hobbies and their reasons for them. Most likely most people don't even have the same reasons for having the same hobby. Oh, and welcome back to the airgun world. I hope you enjoy it, whatever your reasons for wanting to shoot airguns.
 
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I would just add one other element to all the fine points made here. I, too, am a long-time firearms user (even published articles in many of the major firearms publications). A little over 50 years ago as a young man I decided I had lost the spirit of hunting, that modern rifles/shotguns made it just too easy. I'm also a National Archery Assoc. Certified Instructor, so I started hunting with a bow, which worked fine for several years until I had a bad experience and swore I would never hunt with an hemorrhagic weapon again. I switched to handguns and hunted exclusively with handguns from the swamps of the Carolinas to the Alaskan tundra. Then I made the mistake of attending a field target match and tried one of the PCP's and was hooked by the quietness and incredible accuracy. I had John Bowkett, an English airgunsmith, make me up a PCP handgun back in the late 70's which I started using with great success on small game (wrote an article on the weapon in the now-defunct magazine American Airgunner). Like most of the guys here, one gun led to another and because I no longer have a large family to feed, I hunt small game exclusively and I hunt exclusively with airguns. With airguns I'm frequently given permission to hunt ranches that have long been off limit to firearms users, and there is something uniquely satisfying about easing into a quiet wood, bagging a brace of rabbits or squirrels without disturbing anyone or anything, and coming home and cooking up a nice stew.

And there is the cost factor. I've reloaded all my life (a necessity in the early days of handgun hunting before the manufacturers learned to make proper hunting ammo), but there is no caliber, rimfire or centerfire, that is as cheap to shoot as an airgun.

Finally I would second the point made by others: There is an unique satisfaction in tuning and tinkering with a gun that uses only air as a propellant. It's physics, of course, but at times it almost feels like magic.



 
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Bettega,what is this term of phrase "REAL" firearm? I'm in Australia.If something comes out of a tube with any pressure greater than a fart,it's a firearm under our laws.
Sucks? Sure does.Wouldn't even consider shooting an airgun in my backyard to eliminate pests or vermin regardless how quiet the gun is.The law wouldn't differentiate from me using a 12 gauge. 
But the pleasure I get at the range when the big bore guys notice what your using and the performance they can produce is beyond words.
Costs are comparative.You get what you pay for.Want quality,it costs.
 
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I grown into pcp world mainly to hunt squirrel.... I just continued buying and experimenting.... and just love the pcp guns.
Then I found I like shooting targets just as much... if not more.... always trying to do better and better... Just plain enjoyment...
I don't like doing what all the average Joe Blows are doing.. I remember hunting with Black powder back in the 70's and people would ask me why...
I find this true with airguns.... nobody around this area shoots air guns.... or even know that pcp air guns exist.
I shoot up to 65 yards in my back yard and I don't bother anybody... and just enjoy it so much .... enough so that cost does not bother me within reason....
 
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I personally prefer air rifles over firearms because they meet my needs better. Generally I view them being safer for hunting if handled with the same respect as a firearm. The reason for this being pellets have a far greater drop than a traditional bullet, meaning shorter maximum range and less of a chance of hitting someone or something further off. Then there is the quiet factor. Nothing worse than waiting for a shot, missing, and then having the noise scare off the intended quarry and every other one in the immediate area.
 
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As Paulcat mentioned, down here in Oz we are restricted as to where we can discharge a firearm ( our governing bodies have failed to differentiate air rifles from the rest, sucks ) but the attraction for myself is the cheaply and easily obtained accuracy compared to any of my other firearms, some of them when you have finally nailed a load ( if you are reloader ) that shoots, the life of the barrel has shortened or those reloading components have become scarce so its back to the start which can be frustrating. Another plus for air rifles is they don't deter junior shooters or women from having a go at shooting sports, no noise and recoil so it is more appealing to them, I can take my 12yr old son to the range and thoroughly enjoys himself without costing a fortune. Don't forget that PCP air rifles are an infectious, addictive habit that puts a smile on your face every time you pull the trigger.
 
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Quite, accurate, inexpensive to shoot. Have you seen the price of powder ammo lately? If you like to shoot a lot you will easily make up for the initial investment in support equipment in ammo savings. I can shoot so much more with airguns than I ever could with P.B. because I can just step out my back door. No more waisting a whole day going to the range and blowing through a $100. or more worth of ammo plus gas and time. Plus I also enjoy the tinkering aspect of air guns. And like Ztirffritz I also enjoy the meditation of quiet bench rest target shooting. Imagine how much more relaxing that is without the inner piece disturbing ear damaging concussive shockwaves. For me it just makes shooting so much more enjoyable.
 
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I agree with what everyone has said I will also add many of my PB guns have wildcat cartridges you can not buy ammo they have to be hand loaded heck I don't have time to dedicate for going to a range let alone building the ammo. I live in a rural area but shooting loud guns would make my neighbors upset with me and rightfully so I would not like to listen to them banging away all day or frequently. The airgun is great and solves all my issues prior to buying and shooting my airguns it had been about 5 years since I shot now I shoot all the time and share with my grand kids. I also don't have a safe area to shoot a powerful PB.
 
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